The Epidemic
by Rikado
Summary: AU: Sasuke's life has recently become chaotic; his parents are determined to find him a future wife, his brother has been forced to leave, and he has someone stalking him because they discovered the very thing he's so desperately been trying to keep a secret.
1. Chapter One

**Title: The Epidemic **

**Rating: T**

**Chapter Warning: Nothing too serious, a bit of blood**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Edit: This chapter has been re-written. The content is still pretty much the same, just presented in a different and better manner.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One: Some saw it as a curse, others a blessing<strong>

* * *

><p>Uchiha Sasuke dismissively wiped at the strand of dark hair sticking to his forehead while wishing the humid summer air would hurry up and give way to fall. It was so hot these days and walking directly under the sun wasn't exactly helping. At least he didn't have much farther to go before he arrived at his destination.<p>

Adjusting the strap of the black sports bag on his shoulder, he made his way down the busy sidewalk towards the mall on the west end of the city.

It was quite unusual for him to go to such a place. The only time he could ever recall was a few years back when his father had left on an unexpected business trip with the rest of the family. At the time, Sasuke wasn't old enough to go with them so he had to say behind with the house staff. Despite the reprieve of not having Fugaku there to plan what he would be doing that week, the youngest of the Uchiha family quickly hit the end of the list of things _he_ wanted to do and was left at a loss. The next day passed painfully slow and so when one of the younger maids asked if he wanted to go to the shopping center with her, he reluctantly agreed because he was already bored out of his mind.

The trip, as expected, was dull but a small improvement from staying at home. Kurotsuchi had stopped at practically every clothing store and insisted on trying on at least a couple of things. Despite her at attempts to get Sasuke to do the same, he always remained near the back of the store doing his best to keep a low profile. It wasn't until the mall was closing that they returned to the Uchiha manor….

If his last experience wasn't all that great, then why was he going to that same shopping center? Well, it all started earlier that day.

His chauffeur had pulled up before the dojo where he practiced Kendo and Sasuke routinely waited for the man to open door before he slid off the leather seat and got out of the car. After freeing the man for the allotted time period he'd be at practice with a nod, Sasuke approached the front entrance. Reading the note taped to the door, he allowed his face to scowl for a moment. Apparently his Sensei had canceled all the lessons for the rest of the afternoon due to a family emergency.

Looking behind him, he noted that the car had already driven off and merged into the city traffic. Sasuke suddenly found himself stranded. He could call the man back but… for once his usual jam packed schedule seemed to have a two hour break. Deciding to take advantage of the situation, he made a mental list of all the things people his age usually did. There was the arcade, but Sasuke didn't have any interest in that. He could go to the library, but there wasn't one in walking distance. However the nearby mall should have books…

So now here he was, traveling through the oppressive heat and a construction zone to get to a shopping center of all places.

The Uchiha idly watched the orange clad workers as he went. If the looks he was getting was any indication, he probably wasn't allowed to be there but it would have taken about fifteen minutes that he didn't have to walk around it area as opposed to taking this short cut. But he knew they wouldn't say anything, it was impossible for them not to recognize a face from the Uchiha family.

Speaking of which, Sasuke paused walking in realization; he had left his wallet at home today so he wouldn't be able to buy anything even if he made it in time. Turning to look behind him, Sasuke estimated he was at the half way point between the dojo and one of the city's most popular places.

Without currency, this idea was just a waste of time; he should have planned better before taking off. He could just catch a ride back home and have his owe practice, but if he did, his father would find out about this little stunt and scold him for wasting time by not coming back immediately.

Taking out his Samsung Galaxy from his pocket he started at the blank screen, as if it would give him an answer to his dilemma. He probably should just go find some cool shade to rest in and make sure to be back in time at the dojo for the driver to pick him up.

Deciding to do just that, he checked the time and shoved the phone back in his pocket.

The sound of shattering glass made him and the surrounding crew look up. Not so far away, he watched as a large metal wheel descended from the skeletal building to the earth in what seemed like slow motion. Sasuke felt his body go numb as everything else faded into the background.

Whatever the object's function was, it was huge. A cable wheel maybe? Sasuke wasn't aware that they were made that big. In any case, now would be a good idea to get out of its trajectory path.

_Move!_ His brain commanded his leg muscles.

Nothing happened. He knees remain locked up and he felt panic begin to claw at his chest. It was more than half way down now.

Afraid to take his eyes off the oncoming object, as if doing so would allow it to fall faster; he resisted the urge to glare at his feet. The mantra of 'get out of the way!' echoing in his head became more frantic.

When Maslow published with his 'fight or flight' theory, he must have missed a reaction because Sasuke couldn't get himself to move. It should have been 'fight, flight, or freeze'.

And how come his life wasn't flashing before his eyes yet, isn't that supposed to happen before you die? Also, was he going to be the first person ever to be crushed a cable wheel?

Man, that was so … incredibly lame. He was an Uchiha, he didn't do lame. So _why_ wouldn't his limbs just cooperate?

A ground shaking loud crunch resounded close by finally snapping Sasuke into action as the device recoiled in his direction.

Knees unlocking, he moved with speed surprising even himself to a nearby bulldozer for cover. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a bright blur zoom past him towards the hazardous area as he slid in between the two back tires. Just in time too, the wheel smashed to a stop where he had been standing not a second before.

All was silent for a moment before reality roared back into life. Somewhere a car alarm was screeching, workers were shouting, and the distant sounds of traffic assaulted his ears. From what Sasuke could tell, peering through the clouded area, four people hadn't been able to get out of the way.

The Uchiha tried calming his beating heart while he emerged from his cover resisting the urge to cough as he inhaled the stirred up cloud of dirt. Just before closing his eyes and willing them to return to normal, he caught movement from his right.

Restoring his normal vision, he stood up and brushed himself off. At first, he thought all the casualties were construction workers but after taking a closer look at the groaning body nearest to him, he realized the other wasn't wearing a yellow construction hat and a uniform but was a blond with an orange jacket.

Sasuke stared at the recuperating stranger with morbid fascination as the teen pushed himself up on his feet and snapped his neck back into place with a _crack_!

_Another Infected _Sasuke's surprised brain supplied.

He was transfixed by the other, who couldn't have been any older than him, as the cuts on his face began to heal. His skin fused back together seamlessly, closing one gash from the top of his check straight down toward his mouth.

A bright blur…

Still trying to recover from shock, Sasuke couldn't help but ask the nearby blond: "Are you suicidal?"

"What? No you jerk! I jumped in to save your ass but as soon as I get there, you've disappeared leaving me to be crushed. I mean seriously, who does that?" The stranger shouted, having seemingly recovered.

"That should be my question idiot. Who rushes into the middle of the scene of an accident?"

"I was trying to save you!"

By now, people were gathering and those who weren't trying to aid the injured were watching the two bicker in a daze. Sasuke, taking this into account hissed a "Shut up."

"Shut up? Don't tell me to shut up you bas—"

"No, I meant think of where we are stupid."

The blond paused and looked around as a blush crept upon his face.

Sasuke, almost wanting to roll his eyes in frustration, grabbed the other by the arm and led him around the other side of the bulldozer, out the view of spectators. Before he could say anything more however, the blond pulled away and let out a quite: "Don't tell anyone okay?"

The Uchiha stared into the other's blue eyes. _Don't tell anyone what...?_ _Oh, _the teen must be trying to keep his condition a secret. That was understandable enough. After the government placed a nation-wide registration, not reporting a case was now illegal. But no one wanted to hand themselves in because those who did had to enter into a facility.

Speaking of which, his pulse spiked. Recalling that unnatural speed, he was sure his eye awoke, but had anyone seen? Luckily, dirt had been kicked up around the accident area and smoke shrouded him in a cloak of brown fog. At least he made sure to deactivate them when he left the vehicle's shelter. That only left the issue of this stranger...

"Uh, are you going to say anything? Your stare is kinda freaking me out…" the fidgeting teen in front of him asked, drawing Sasuke's attention back to the present.

"I'm not going to say anything," he eventually replied, "but the blood on your jacket is going to give you away as someone who was involved and walked away."

"Well, I guess in that case-" the blond shrugged off a jacket and pausing to see his red stained shirt, took it off as well, revealing a flawless tan torso. Bunching the clothes under his right arm he continued. "-I had better get going …um?"

"Sasuke."

"Just Sasuke huh? Well, I'm Uzumaki Naruto and don't you forget it!"

"Hn" ignoring the enthusiastic teen, Sasuke brought out his phone, making sure it didn't get cracked in all the excitement and dialed his family driver.

"Okay then," Naruto said while the phone rang "I'll see you around Sasuke!" and with a wave he took off.

The chauffer picked up just as Naruto disappeared around the wooded fence.

After the brief conversation, Sasuke ended the call and peered around the other side of the bulldozer looking for his sports bag. Fortunately, it was by one of the rear tires.

It seemed the local authorities, the fire department and some ambulances had shown up by now. Using the chaos to his advantage, he snuck over, grabbed the duffle, and followed the path the blond took, leaving the site with a back entrance.

Ignoring the looks Sasuke got for his dirt covered clothes as he waited by the sidewalk, he was silently grateful when the chauffeur finally pulled up. Not paying attention to the worried man's jabbering, Sasuke climbed in the car and put on his seat belt waiting for the car to take off.

The driver got the hint and hurried off, but despite both of their rushing Sasuke was still-

"You're late" Fugaku called sitting in a lush chair in the entrance foyer when Sasuke stepped into the mansion immediately feeling the rush of cool air.

"I apologize father but on my way-"

"I don't want to hear any excuses boy; you've already wasted enough of my time. Just get over to the dining room so we can eat." The older Uchiha stood up, making his way in between the separate white marble stair cases and into the open double doors in the back.

Sasuke set down the sports bag on the equally white floor for the maids to pick up later and bring it to his room. He then followed Fugaku into the dining hall and took his place at the long table.

Sitting down, Sasuke hid a wince. In the rush of the earlier incident, he hadn't realized he'd been hurt. Most likely it was just some bruising from diving under the dozer.

Spotting a much needed glass of water near his decorated salad appetizer, he picked it up and he brought it to his lips, drinking down the ice cold liquid. Once he was finished, he set the empty glass back on the table.

His mother sitting diagonally from him gave a nervous smile before asking "You're filthy. What happened dear?"

"I was passing through a construction zone when a cable wheel nearly fell on top of me." He answered keeping his eyes on his plate, not wanting to see his father's glare.

A loud slam caught back his attention and echoed around the room until it faded back into silence which was broke by Fugaku. "Sasuke, why were you not at practice?"

'Of course, just ignore the fact that your youngest son almost _died_ and focus solely on the part where he broke the rules.' Was what Sasuke wanted to reply but settled with: "Sensei canceled for a family emergency so I was going to-"

"I know for a fact that your Kendo trainer doesn't have much family left so he wouldn't cancel for such a reason. He even called earlier to ask about your whereabouts."

"But there was a note on the door-" Sasuke protested.

"Silence! I expect you to make up for the session you decided to skip. Also, you're old enough to know that you shouldn't tell such lies. Your English teacher may appreciate inaccurate reenactments of your life, but your Mother and I do not. If you continue to act so rebelliously, there will be severe consequences.

"Yes Sir" he forced out.

It was quiet for a while after that. There really was a note on the door, so why then, did his father get a call from his teacher proclaiming his absence? Maybe someone had tapped it there as a prank?

Finding no use in dwelling further on other's foolishness, the youngest Uchiha, now nearly finished with his main course, eyed the plate with interest. He never minded the silence during dinner, for he had no desire to fake interest in a conversation with his parents anyway. Anyone could see just how _well_ the first one went. Besides, talking to them meant looking his at parents in the eye. It always made him wonder how they would show their disgust for him if they ever found out he was an infected as well. When Itachi, the favorite son, admitted he was one, they immediately kicked him out without warning. Sasuke didn't want to think about what they'd do to him.

He accidentally let his eyes stray, looking at an empty chair across from him.

Itachi didn't even look at him as he walked out their front door that day for the last time. Sasuke hadn't heard or seen him since, was Itachi even still alive? If so, what was he doing now, had he turned himself in?

Well, at least for now, Sasuke was safe. Itachi, his parents and the world would never find out what he was because he'd continue to keep it well hidden.

Quickly, he averted his gaze in another direction before Fugaku caught him staring at a forbidden topic and swallowed the rest of his food. He didn't need to get into that now.

He changed the direction of his thoughts. It really was pointless for the trio to be eating at such a large table, a thirteen ft. mahogany antique dining table with sixteen luxurious matching chairs to be exact. The exquisite food for the evening didn't even cover a third of said table and most of it wouldn't even be eaten. His parents went out of their way to display their wealth in any way they possibly could. Hence why four… now three people lived in a house that could fit twenty.

Growing bored, he was almost relived when Fugaku decided to address him.

"Son," the older man started off, setting down his utensils and looking at the dark-haired youth "your mother and I have been discussing this for several days now and we've come to the conclusion that it is time for you to get involved with a proper girlfriend so you can immediately become engaged and be ready to marry once you graduate."

Sasuke barley registered his mother joining the conversation while trying to get over his shock and keeping his expression blank. "We were going to wait until tomorrow to tell you, but this is so exciting that I requested that we mention it today."

He had to admit, he was more surprised than he should have been. Sasuke had known they wanted him to settle down in an arranged marriage (his parents still lived like it was the Middle Ages) but not this early! He had only just turned fifteen and wasn't going to graduate for another two years. This was absurd, even for them.

How much more abnormal was this day going to get?

Making sure his voice in check, he replied "Don't you think it's a little too early for me to be considering marriage?"

"Nonsense, tomorrow I expect to find you in my office at 8 A.M. sharp prepared to go over potential candidates."

"Yes, father." Knowing that further protest was useless, he could only agree as the occupants finished up dinner and went off to their respective bedrooms.

That night he had trouble falling asleep even though he had the best bed money could buy. It wasn't his back that was bothering him; the soreness had practically faded away by now. It was the earlier conversation that kept playing itself back through his head like a broken record. There wasn't much he could do about it and it's not like he had to get married tomorrow. He just had to pick someone. That really that wasn't such a bad thing, was it?

The dark silk sheets rustled as he rolled over onto his other side and closed his eyelids, finally feeling sleep start to creep upon him.

In fact, it should be a welcome distraction from his busy schedule which became even more so after his older brother was forced to leave. Now Sasuke was expected to wake up and get ready at six. Including a bath and getting dressed for breakfast which started at seven. Since he was out for summer break, he stayed home to study until lunch time. After which he went to his other two lessons for the day.

Currently he was enrolled in tennis, piano, violin, and kendo. He went the first two on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the others on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a longer period of time.

Taking another bath before dinner so he looked presentable (he had to miss today's much needed one because he was late), he then sat most often in silence with his parents, often letting his mind wander during the meal. Every day, was just like the last and Sasuke was becoming very tired of his parents instructing him how to live his life.

Before, he was just the extra child. He was still required to follow a similar schedule but Fugaku had hardly ever spared him a glance. All he had ever wanted was to be recognized by his Father. Now that he was, he wished he could go back to the days when he was normal and still had a caring older brother…

A screeching alarm clock sounded somewhere to his right and startled Sasuke out of his already forgotten dream. When did he fall asleep?

He groggily reached over to his night stand and turned the annoying device off. He didn't feel rested at all. Sasuke sighed and brought both hands up to his face in an attempted to rub the sting out of his eyes recalling his thoughts the previous night. He hadn't even been awake for two minutes and already he wanted this miserable day to be over.

He moved his hands and shoved off his dark blue covers so he wouldn't get tangled up in them and trip. After sitting up and shifting his legs over the side of the bed, the Uchiha held back a wince as his bare feet made contact with the cold hard wood floor.

He stood up and moved his arms over his head in an attempt to stretch out the kinks that usually came from sleeping and briefly wondered what his parents would say if they saw him act in such a manner. After a few satisfying pops sounded, he put his arms back down and walked across the room to put on his robe. The hired help would be here soon to open his curtains and prepare his bath. Sure enough, a knock sounded at Sasuke's door.

"Master Sasuke, may I come in?"

"You may" he called as he slipped on a pair of black footwear.

The morning went by quickly after that. He had finished breakfast and followed Fugaku up the stairs and into the man's luxurious study. The pair proceeded to go through file after file of each female candidate examining the benefits and who had the most potential. It was a dull process but it was almost refreshing to get a break from his usual studies.

Apparently, his father had taken that Friday morning off so they spent until lunch going over the applications. It was quite different from the usual, and Sasuke was permitted three months to sort over the information, get to know the girls, and make a selection.

After lunch, the raven mentally prepared himself to go back to the regular routine. His piano session for the afternoon went by quickly and eventually he was on his way to the courts for tennis practice.

Watching the buildings pass by as they drove, his eye caught the dojo and Sasuke could help but think on how much a life could change in twenty-four hours.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**:

* * *

><p>I know things may seem strange at the moment, but I was trying to come up with a believable excuse for the characters to have the same abilities (mostly) as those in the cannon. I apologize for the whole x-men cliché explanation.<p>

If you didn't know: Kurotsuchi is the female ninja in Hidden Rock village, who attended the five Kage summit with the Tsuchikage, and not an OC. :) I can promise I will shy away from those.

So, please let me know if you have corrections, comments, suggestions, questions or just plain complaints. And because I think this site should implement a rating system, I'd be happy even if you left me a number of 1-10 to let me know if I should continue. It would be much appreciated. :)

Thanks goes to froffify and SinsofYouth, who beta'd this :)


	2. Chapter Two

**Title: The Epidemic **

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two: Watch out for snakes<strong>

* * *

><p>The remainder of the week flew by without incident. Sasuke followed his regular schedule and in his spare time went over the applications in the vanilla file.<p>

When Friday night came, he found himself being escorted to a private table with its own room in the back of _Madame Shirley's, _a popular high class restaurant. The short hostess followed in behind him and closed the two doors, immediately snuffing out the sound of the hustle and bustle of the busy dining room.

The young woman walked away from the closed wooden doors and over to the polished table. Pulling out a red parson dinning chair, she gestured for Sasuke to sit down. Doing so, he felt himself get pushed back toward the table. The brunette had started to unfold the napkin when Sasuke interrupted her.

"I can do it myself" he grumbled, and took the white cloth to drape in on his lap. He never liked them on his collar, not only did he think it looked ridiculous, but it was also uncomfortable. Besides, Sasuke was neat enough that aside from the polite gestures, it wasn't needed.

'Ayame' according to her name tag, excused herself after placing the two menus on the table and Sasuke sat waiting for his guest. Fugaku had arranged for him to become acquainted with the first of his candidates. The female's name was Tsuchi Kin and he was to meet her at 8:00 P.M. for dinner. It was now 7:43, like usual, the Uchiha had arrived early.

It would be nice if he could slouch a little, rest his chin in his hand and use the other one to drum his fingers on the table. No one would be there to see him if he did, however not only was he in an expensive restaurant, but he was also an Uchiha and that was something they just didn't do. So Sasuke examined his surroundings, trying to distract his mind.

The room had been set to look like a posh dining room. Four expensive chairs surrounded the equally expensive table. A glass chandelier hung over head. The wall right of the double door entrance had a white fireplace built in to it, the wall across had a huge opened curtained window. Looking out at the presented view, Sasuke saw an exotic garden, its plants reflecting the orange and red shades of the setting sun.

Finally hearing the sound of doors opening, Sasuke directed his eyes toward the noise. A young lady walked in followed by their hostess.

Tsuchi looked a bit different in real life than in the picture he had of her. Wearing the formal clothes that fit with the restaurant's dress code made her look a little older. Her long black hair was done in a style that made Sasuke think 'Hyuuga' but her opposite dark eyes told otherwise. In fact, Sasuke could say that she almost looked like a younger version of Mikoto, with the exception of his mother being much prettier.

Setting the napkin onto the table, Sasuke stood up and bowed before making introductions.

"Good evening, you are Tsuchi Kin I presume?"

"Yes, and you must be Uchiha Sasuke?" she flashed him a small smile.

"That is correct" he said walking over and un-tucking the chair for her to sit down. "Shall we get started?"

"Of course" she responded, taking her glazed over eyes off Sasuke for the first time since she arrived and gracefully took her seat.

Allowing Ayame to push her back in, Sasuke went around to his side of the table and picked up his French menu.

"So, may I get you anything to drink?" the hostess asked looking directly at him, her hands clasped in front of her stomach.

"I'll have a glass of water if it isn't too much trouble" Tsuchi's high pitched voice interrupted before Sasuke even opened his mouth.

The brunet turned and blinked at the female candidate. "…Okay" looking back at The Uchiha she continued. "And for you Sir?"

"I'll have water as well."

"Alright then, I'll just be right back." Ayame stated as she turned and went out the door.

"I'm surprised at the horrible service of this place; it's nothing like I've heard. Why, that woman was staring at you like a piece of meat. I can't believe she ignored me like that. Hasn't she ever heard the phrase 'ladies first'?"

Sasuke didn't reply but briefly took his eyes off the object in front of him to glance at the pouting girl. She hadn't even picked up her own menu yet.

"So Sasuke, I can call you that right? Do you play any instruments? I do, just recently had a concert with my cluster bells. They make the most beautiful noise. Then again how can they not with me as the one guiding them." She let out a shrill laugh.

The raven started to correct her, suggesting that they not move to first name basis yet when the door opened once again. Ayame placed their drinks in front of them and said: "Here are your beverages. Your server should be here momentarily."

And then she marched out of the lavish dining room, almost as if she had heard earlier Tsuchi's complaint….

Sasuke could help but be irritated, this girl was loud.

* * *

><p>The rest of the meal followed in a similar manner and Sasuke would have liked nothing better than to get up and leave. Unfortunately he had to wait for his company to finish, so he stayed there pretending to pay attention and wishing that he'd never have to see her again.<p>

After shaking hands and saying their farewells, he all but sprinted out of the restaurant. Okay, so maybe it was a controlled pace, but it was slightly faster than usual.

Closing the restaurant doors of _Madame Shirley's_behind him (he had opened them before the waiter got a chance to do it for him), he walked out and down the steps looking for the limo that would drive him home. Spotting the black vehicle waiting behind a 2011 Koenigsegg Agera R, he quickly made his way over.

"Hey!" Sasuke heard a loud voice shout which wasn't usual in the city. The usual part was that this was the entrance to a high class establishment and it was hard to believe that someone would be so rude. He didn't bother to turn around and see who was shouting. The Uchiha kept walking to the limo because he really just wanted to go to the house, get some rest, and mark off Tsuchi Kin from the list of candidates.

"Hey!" The second time he heard this, he picked up his pace. Maybe it was that girl from earlier and she had discarded her manners in attempt to ask for another date. He swore his ears would bleed if he ever had to hear her talk _at_ him (because he could never get a word in) again.

"HEEEY! Wait up!" The voice called again. This time, Sasuke could tell it was somewhat masculine. Maybe it was someone from the restaurant? He had paid the correct amount for the bill and got his card back so they wouldn't be shouting. Not thinking, he stopped and checked his pockets…no he didn't forget anything.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder and twisted him around.

Sasuke's body tensed, his mind immediately going over all the years of experience drilled into his body in martial arts. But before he could strike out, his brain finally registered the person's face and he stopped himself.

"Didn't you hear me calling you?" the zombie blond from last week spoke. Sasuke watched Naruto take a hand off his shoulder, use it to grab his own orange (again) clad stomach and rested the other hand on his knee in an attempt to catch his breath.

"Hay is for Horses." Once again, it happened. Sasuke felt his mouth move before he could control it. He really needed to stop doing that.

"…" Naruto blinked up at him for a second before straightening up. His face started to turn red as he gritted his teeth, seemly struggling not to say anything offensive.

Sasuke, weary of more American phrases spewing from his mouth, remained silent. It was the blond's fault for having such bright hair and making him think such things.

The other teen seemed to get over what he wanted to say and replied with an "Anyway, I was trying to get your attention because I've actually been looking for you. I told you we'd see each other again."

Sasuke felt it safe for him to raise an eyebrow and did so in question.

Naruto huffed "Don't think I didn't see what you did that day. I've been thinking about it," In a whispered voice he continued, "and no one can naturally move that fast. You're-"

"Don't say it!" Sasuke hissed. Alarms were going off in his head; this was not the proper place to have this conversation. Although no one was in hearing range, the limo driver was no doubt keeping a careful eye on them and people who were bound to exit the restaurant to go home would see and possibly overhear them. This included the Tsuchi girl.

"I have to leave. Don't look for me and never speak of this again." Sasuke turned away and briefly wondered how the blond had found him in the first place. The other teen wasn't stalking him was he?

"Aw come on, don't be like that. I just wanted to tell you about something that can help people like us." Naruto insisted, chasing after the Uchiha.

"I'm not interested."

"There's no way you actually like being ordered around like some animal is there?" The raven spun around.

"So you _are_ stalking me." He glared.

"What, stalking? No!" Naruto sputtered. "I've just been following you around, looking for a chance to talk to you. I couldn't this morning because you were cooped up inside till lunch. Then I couldn't because you spent the rest of the day running around like a headless chicken-"

"A _what_?" the raven interrupted but was ignored.

"-This is the first time I've been able to approach you. You're so busy doing what other people tell you to, that you don't have any time for yourself. The reason I've been trying to talk to you is because I just wanted to ask if you'd come with me to my school for people like us. Where you can actually make your own choices and-"

"Look," Sasuke sighed and this time the blue-eyed teen stopped talking to listen. "First, following and stalking _are_ the same thing. I don't know how you found out where I live or why you keep following me but quit it. Second, I really don't have the desire to go anywhere with you or attend that stupid school. My life is fine how it is. Lastly," the Uchiha began moving closer to the teen "If you don't stop following me or if you ever tell anyone about what you saw that day…" he was now close enough to the feel the heat of the blond's breath "I'm seriously going to make you regret it." Locking eyes with the other's ocean blue, he allowed his own flash red for a second, making sure the message was clear.

Backing off, he started to leave once more but froze he heard the blond whisper.

"I sniffed you out. That's how I knew where you were."

Before he could reply, not even sure of what he going to say, one of the front doors to the limo finally opened.

"Master Sasuke, is this person bothering you?" The driver asked.

"No" he answered and turned away for the last time. He walked the over to the black vehicle and stepped inside; refusing to take a look at the blond he was leaving behind him.

* * *

><p>When Sasuke arrived home, his mother was waiting by the door this time.<p>

"So, how did your date go?" She practically cooed.

"It was informative…I won't be seeing Tsuchi again." He said as he walked quickly up the stairs, not wanting to hear his mother's reply. It was a bit impolite but he was tired and at this point, didn't really care.

Taking a right after the stairs, he made his way down the luxurious hall and approached his bedroom door. He pulled the gold door handle and pushed the door open, noting how plain his room seemed with only the basic furniture of a bed, bookshelf, workstation, and large closet compared to the overly decorated rest of the house.

He advanced across the room and over to his neatly organized desk and then picked up the vanilla folder. Withdrawing Tsuchi's, he took the paper and ran it through the shredder on the left.

Sasuke couldn't even imagine being married to that girl. During the dinner, he had gotten the impression that she was a boy-crazy, self-centered snob who bragged far too much for his tolerance. The only good thing he could see if they did get married was that she wasn't too bad looking and the merging of their parent's companies would increase profit by at least thirty percent if not greater.

In the end, the disadvantages far outweighed the benefits to him.

He grabbed the knot of his tie to loosen it up while he flipped through the other candidates in his other hand. Now, he had to pick someone for date number two. Hopefully the next girl would be more bearable.

Pulling the black tie up and over his head and closing the file, he accidentally let his mind wander. Personally, he didn't really like the idea of marrying any of these girls. Why couldn't he pick a person whom he actually _liked_ without worrying how much the profit of his family's business would increase? Not that he had anyone in particular in mind, but surely he would find someone some day.

Then again, why was he allowing himself to sound like a sentimental little girl? He needed to get over it already and find someone he could tolerate. It was still too early to get discouraged. He didn't really know all the candidates yet but surely he could find one of them he could reasonably stand.

Sasuke hung his tie on the closet door and stripped down to his boxers, getting ready for bed.

Maybe he should have taken the blond's offer after all.

The words the other had threw at him when they last spoke continued to ring in his head. It would be nice to pull an Itachi, escape and get away all these restrictions…but thoughts of his parents looking at him with shame and disgust helped him make up his mind every time. His place was here, trapped in the house and his secret would just be buried with his emotions.

Besides, the way that blond acted the day of the accident, Sasuke could have sworn Naruto was an unregistered like himself but after their conversation today and hearing that Naruto went to a 'school', contradicted itself. People weren't permitted to enter the facility unless they were registered. Sasuke wasn't sure about this 'Naruto's' character and it was dangerous tampering with the unknown.

Sasuke shook his head, mentally scolding himself for letting his thoughts wander off to such a track, he turned the lights off and padded over to the bed. Slipping in between the sheets, he decided just to see how things played out.

* * *

><p>He woke up the next day, bathed, had breakfast, and did his morning studies. Since it was Saturday he was allowed to do what he wished for the remainder of the evening.<p>

As per usual, he examined his black bookshelf a bit left to his king sized bed determining which book he had wanted to start on, since he'd finished _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ last week. He'd pretty much already read everything on his shelf at least twice already so maybe he would find something that he overlooked. Scanning the titles, he didn't see anything that caught his eye and turned away.

_Guess it couldn't hurt to get out of the house for a while, _he thought. A picture of the library surfacing in his mind made him go over to his closet and put on some nice shoes. Heaven forbid if his father caught youngest son wearing flip-flops with his khakis. Actually, Sasuke wasn't even sure if he owned any flip-flops. Maybe one day when he had time to sort through his mountain pile of shoes the maids would buy for him, he'd look.

Quickly checking in the mirror to see if he was presentable, he nodded and pulled up the collar higher of his dark blue polo shirt.

On the way out the front door, he grabbed his wallet and made a stop by Fugaku's office downstairs. He quietly knocked on the cherry wood door, checking to see if the man was in.

An "Enter" assured the teen he was.

Sasuke twisted the golden knob and let himself in. As always the older Uchiha was seated as his expensive desk, going over some papers.

"Was is it?" Fugaku snapped, not taking his eyes off the documents before him.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, Father, but may I have your permission to go to the library?"

There was a small pause before the older man gave his answer. "…I suppose that would be alright. Make sure to be back before dinner."

"Yes Sir" Sasuke replied and left the suffocating room before Fugaku could change his mind.

Finally exiting the house, Sasuke noticed what nice day it was. The sun was only thing in the sky and the temperature was perfect with the light breeze. Since the teen hadn't exercised today, it would be really nice if he could go on a run to his destination. But their house was in a larger neighborhood outside the city (each home with a huge amount of land) and it was at least 30 miles to the library from here. Even though Sasuke was in shape, he didn't think he wanted to try that out.

So reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his phone and dialed the chauffer.

Before long he was getting out of the black car with an "I'll call you to come pick me up when I'm finished" and stepped up to the large building.

Making his way up the steps and opening the door, Sasuke instantly felt the cool air brush against his skin. The clear door close behind him, sealing off the outside air, and his sense of smell registered the scent of old books, something he was quite fond of.

Sasuke decided to look through some of the book stacks to see if something grabbed his attention before going to the young adult section (a guilty pleasure of his). Walking past the front desk, he made his way over to the closest shelves and began to browse through the huge books.

Oh, this was the reference section, that's why most of these texts were so thick. He couldn't check any of these out anyway, so Sasuke went to try his luck upstairs.

After advancing to the top level, he chose to examine the books on the display shelf as he ambled past before going on to inspect the stacks.

He was on the 5th floor deep in the 900's section and didn't really expect to find anything interesting because Sasuke found history to be pretty boring, when a 904 book caught his attention. It was titled '_In the Beginning of the Most Recent Epidemic' _by Elizabeth Hawkeye.

Normally he'd stay away from books like these, for he didn't want to be seen associating with anything even remotely close to the topic but curiosity got the best of him. Glancing at the nearby aisles without trying to look too suspicious, he checked to see if anyone was around. The library usually got busy on Saturday's but most of the Patrons seemed to be in the downstairs computer lab today.

Deeming it safe, he cautiously extracted the silver book from the shelf. Cracking it open, he flipped through the first couple of pages. Mostly they were snippets of news articles that had been published before the public became aware of the epidemic. Sasuke paused at one of the smaller ones dated nearly twenty years ago and read it:

'_At least 30 people are reported to have been killed after a freight train went off track, sliding down a nearby hill until it collided into a small American town. Many more were injured, including a few state police officers and rail workers that were trying to prevent the accident and evacuate the area in time._

_What caused the sudden crash early on Wednesday is still unknown. _

_"Suddenly the train became derailed. It was almost like it lifted itself off the tracks and tumbled toward the town." Blaze Mustang, a nearby rail worker who witnessed the accident, told the Wyoming news agency. _

_"Thirty died. The majority are still undocumented and the train operators are hurt. There are fourteen more people injured," said Mustang._

_The train was carrying a cargo of coal, which was scattered across the accident scene. _

_There are fears that the death toll could rise. "They are still searching to see if there are bodies buried under the rubble," added another rail worker._

_Several citizens are now staying at the local hotel until the north area is repaired and new houses can be built.'_

Supposing it was unimportant, he turned over to the longer articles in the back. He skimmed through reading about a desert town that disappeared one night along with its people without any warning. It was suspected that it was buried deep underneath layers of sand, but even the machines that have developed over the years were having trouble locating it.

It really was strange what some people could do. Of course Sasuke was one to talk. At least he wasn't an elemental and could control when his eyes would switch over. He hadn't really experimented with them much, in an attempt to keep hidden but he knew that when activated things moved in slow motion and he could see other's skeletal outline, the color of emotions flowing through their bodies in addition to his new speed.

The Uchiha could remember the exact day when he'd pretty much knew he was an infected. He had recently turned twelve and had the biggest headache known-

The auto timed lights turned off and threw Sasuke out of his reminiscing. The main hall way was lit up but the stack sections that branched off of it, had timed lights to save on electricity.

It was then when he realized someone was breathing down his neck. Literally.

Sasuke froze. He didn't even sense anyone approach! Even though he wasn't paying as much of attention as he should have, usually he could still tell if someone was moving near him. Particularly if they were that close.

Not bothering to turn around or let his surprise show any more than he'd already let it, he inquired to the figure behind him. "Do you need something?"

"Why yes actually. I was wondering if you could help me find something." A smooth voice hissed.

Forcing the other to back away as he turned around and closed the book he was looking at, he eyed the stranger in the now dark and narrow walkway. The man was at least a head taller than Sasuke with long dark hair and yellow eyes. Maybe he was wearing contacts?

"You couldn't have asked a librarian or someone who isn't busy?" Sasuke growled out, not caring about being rude.

"No, they don't have what I need. Besides, it strains your eyes if you read in the dark I've heard. It's a good thing you were just staring off into space and not paying much attention, it must not be very interesting. What is it?"

The Uchiha didn't really feel like chit-chatting with this man who screamed creepy and tried to cut the conversation short with his next answer. "A book. I need to go now, if you need help go ask someone who works here."

"You're the boy from the construction accident the other day." The snake continued and seemed to unconsciously block Sasuke's way from leaving the aisle.

_Boy_? Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch. "I wasn't the only one there."

"Indeed you weren't. Here, I don't think I've introduced myself. My name is Orochimaru and I have to say I've taken a particular interest in you after witnessing something…very curious."

The Uchiha hoped his pale face wouldn't give away the spike of fear he felt. What exactly did this freak think he knew? Maybe Sasuke could find a way to convince the man to keep his mouth shut. He did not need a press leak.

"I even went so far as to pay your 'date' last night to get some information on you. Too bad she wasn't successful as I would have liked. Ah, well I guess what they say is true: if you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

"What do you want?" Sasuke quickly demanded, hands tightening around the book.

"Tsk so impatient. I'm actually I scientist who has been spending a lot of time researching the newest epidemic. I find it very fascinating, you see. There are many factors that don't add up in the equation and I've been determined to explore each one. This includes the book you are currently holding onto."

Sasuke practically shoved the text in the man's face. It would be nice if handing over a book that wasn't even his was all it took to get this creep off his back but he doubted it would be that simple, and he was right.

Orochimaru paused and took the thick book. "It also includes experimentation."

Sasuke's eyes clashed with yellow. He needed to get out of here. Now.

"I told my father I'd be home for dinner, I'm leaving." The Uchiha said as he turned to exit from the other end of the aisle.

"You won't be going back home."

Sasuke stilled and reluctantly twisted around.

"Now now, let's not make this difficult. Everything would be much easier if you just stayed close to the lab."

"For you maybe, I'm not going to just abandon my life, I'm staying here."

"This supposed 'life' of yours won't even exist if I let if leak to the press what I saw a week ago. As far as the world knows, the oldest son ran away, what do you think will happen if they found out what _you_ have? Surely the two will be connected."

Itachi…did his brother want to be labeled as an infected? Sasuke would say he owed enough to the elder for being there when his elusive parents weren't; for taking care of all of his bumps and bruises; for attending his games even though the elder could be studying; for comforting the young Uchiha after each nightmare…

No, he'd do whatever it takes to no let this leak, if not for his own sake, then for his brother's. Even if it meant following a psychopath back to his lab.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**:

* * *

><p>No, I may be giving out a spoiler here, but Orochimaru is<em> not<em> going to be raping anyone. And for those of you who didn't know, in the Dewey decimal system, 904 books (as far as I'm aware) are about collected accounts of events.

Let me know what you think with a review/pm, or if you have questions, suggestions, ratings, corrections or just plain complaints.

Thanks goes to froffify and SinsofYouth, who beta'd this :)


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Chapter Warning: Accidental humor XD**

**Note****: If you're reading this chapter straight from an update notification e-mail, I suggest you go back and read the first two chapters. Basically the plot is still the same but I worked out some kinks so it makes more sense. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three: <strong>**Always watch where you're going**

* * *

><p>Sasuke begrudgingly went down the library stairs while thinking over his newly developed situation.<p>

"_This is going to be a good thing for you." Orochimaru said, "Besides it is possible if I collect enough research, that I may be able to get rid of your problem all together. Then you could go home again normal. Isn't that what you want?_

"_Well, you don't have to answer me now. When we get to the first floor, I'm going over to the circulation desk to check this out" The older waved the silver book for emphasis. "You are to pretend we've never spoke and leave out the entrance doors in plain sight. After you get outside, there should be a white SUV down the road waiting for you to get in. The young man will have silver hair and is called Kabuto, he will drive you to our jet and I'll meet you there."_

When they got to their destination, what kind of experiments was Orochimaru thinking of? Sasuke could see himself strapped to a table while a white figure above him moves closer to his face with a scalpel. He mentally shuddered.

And getting rid of the side-effects of his infection? Did he even want them gone? Sasuke wasn't sure. Fear of exposure stopped him from using them and he could count all three times on one hand.

The first time he noticed his eyes were different; he had been alone in his bedroom…

_The only sound that could be heard in Sasuke's room was the dull ticking of his expensive watch. It was a constant reminder to the young boy that it was very late, and he had yet to fall asleep. He had tried about everything he could think of such as counting down from two hundred, three hundred, than four hundred, clenching and relaxing his muscles, pretending he was asleep, but none of them seemed to be working for him tonight._

_The cause of this usual occurrence of insomnia: the worst cluster headache Sasuke ever had the misfortune of experiencing. The back of his eyes were burning and felt like someone had taken all the information of an encyclopedia and crammed it in there. _

_Frustrated, the dark haired boy decided he probably wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, and rolled over from his side, onto his back, and opened his eyes. _

_He flinched; it stung more than he anticipated even though it was dark. He had to blink several times to adjust to the lack of light. He wondered why his normally white ceiling seemed to have a red tint to it, but passed it off in favor of seeking the time._

_He sat up carefully and reached over for his watch. _

_Sasuke's breath hitched. His arm had become a faint outline, surrounding a flowing river of color. He watched as the bright red pain mixed with a surprised yellow._

What is this? What happened to me?

_Throwing off his covers in panic, he ran over to the mirror and looked at himself in shock. His whole body was a silhouette lit with the circulating colors, the yellow almost completely taking over the red. _

_Horror flooded his senses, changing the river into a harsh dark purple. _

No, no no no no, This has to be a side-effect of _that._

_Sasuke closed his eyes desperately wishing for it to go away, for him to go back being safe. _

_Knowing the somewhat comforting gesture was useless, he opened them again and to his surprise, he noted that everything had changed back to normal. His eyes went back to their usual black instead of an eerie red and his skin regained its usual paleness. _

_Sasuke blinked feeling his fear mix with relief. _

_At least it could be turned off._

The second time it happened was during a heated Kendo match, luckily he had a mask on to cover his face. He almost stumbled due to his shock when they activated. In slow-motion it was much easier to keep up with his opponent, not to mention he could quite easily read the moves the other was going to make, allowing for quick counters. His opponent's river was a frustrating red, darkening with Sasuke's every par. In the end, Sasuke had quickly finished off his partner and won the match.

The third and last was the most recent incident in the construction zone where he discovered this new speed. If only he'd wielded more control and ducked out of the way before the thing hit the ground, he wouldn't be in the mess that he was in now.

Lost in his musings, he didn't realize he was outside until he automatically stepped down from the steps in front of the library. Right, Orochimaru had said something about an SUV and a man with silver hair?

Surveying the area Sasuke's brows furrowed in annoyance. Couldn't the snake have been more specific? There were at least three SUVs in the parking meter slots on the busy street. Two of them were white.

Taking a guess, he walked over to the nearest one on the left. He could see a silver haired man sitting in the driver's seat. _This must be the one._

He pulled the handle of the unlocked door and climbed into the passenger seat, swinging the car door shut behind him. Sasuke turned and looked at…What was his name? Kabuto?

The man had lowered the orange book in his hands and was staring at Sasuke oddly. Well he did look weird enough to be the sort of person Orochimaru would be friends with. This man had an eye patch after all.

Sasuke stared back for a second but feeling the awkwardness of the situation, focused on the man's book. It had a red cross out sign on the back…Sasuke's voice ran ahead of his thoughts and he blurted "Is that _porn_?"

The other looked back down at the book and back at him before answering slowly. "Yes… Why, do you want to read it?"

"No" Sasuke rested his elbow on the ledge near the window and pinched his nose. Orochimaru was leaving him to sit in this car with a pervert.

With a sigh, the Uchiha turned to the stranger once more and tired to clear the tense air. There was no way he felt like staying in a car for a while with this atmosphere. "So your name is…Kabuto or something, yes?"

It was then the man's gaze shifted from confusion to amusement and the laughing started.

Sasuke took his turn to be momentarily confused but on the outside was glaring. What was so funny? This man must be mad as well as a pervert!

The silver-haired man finally seemed to calm himself down and got his breathing back in order. "Actually, my name is Kakashi."

"Oh…" Sasuke let out in a small voice, feeling his rare embarrassment color his cheeks. He hurried and pushed the door open and jumped out. Ignoring the man who was giggling, he slammed the door shut and walked away from the white SUV.

_It was an easy mistake anyone could have made_ he reassured himself. The snake said there would be a young man in a white SUV with silver hair named Kabuto. The vehicle behind him fitted that description almost exact. The only difference being the man was called Kakashi, which was still sounded fairly close to Kabuto.

Refusing to think anymore on the matter, he hesitantly started down the street to the second white vehicle.

There was a possibility that he could go back to this Kakashi and contact the police to make the snake leave him alone. But if he did that then, Orochimaru would just let everyone know what Sasuke was. Of course, the Uchiha could deny all claims, and call the man insane. There was a slim chance it would work but the seeds would already be planted in his parent's head. No, it wasn't worth the risk or the embarrassment of going back.

Cautiously approaching the second white SUV, Sasuke peaked at the driver's seat through the window. The man pushing up his glasses had silver hair.

He jerked the door open and decided to ask this time before he jumped in. "Kabuto?"

"Yes?" the man replied turning his head to look at the Uchiha.

Sasuke just nodded and lifted himself up to the passenger's seat, not bothering anymore with conversation.

At least this way if he went with Orochimaru, he could have a chance to get away from the stifling environment in the house. He wouldn't have to deal with following his parent's every command.

Yes, they'd be angry when their window of opportunity to get more wealth by marrying Sasuke off would be gone. What would they tell everyone else? That Sasuke was abducted, or that he ran away, maybe they'd even say they threw him out.

In any case, if he could play off that he got kidnapped by the creepy snake for a while then Sasuke could come back when Orochimaru was finished with his experiment and his parents would welcome him back.

* * *

><p>The two hour trip to the jet was mostly silent and Sasuke probably would have fallen asleep to the lull of the car if it weren't for the fact that he was memorizing the route in case he needed to know it later.<p>

After arriving, Sasuke climbed out of the passenger seat and slowly took in his dark surroundings. This_ jet _was actually just a small plane with six windows sitting on a lit runway stretch enshrouded by trees.

Closing the door, The Uchiha turned around only to be blocked by Kabuto who was extending out a pale hand.

"Cell Phone," was all the man said.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

"Come now Sasuke, don't be difficult. Just give Kabuto what he wants." called a voice behind him.

The teen turned his head and watched Orochimaru with a plastic bag in one hand, use the other to shut the door of a black Honda and lock it. Sasuke waited until the snake was standing next to the glasses-clad man to fish his phone out of a side pocket and reluctantly place it in Kabuto's palm.

"Alright, let's go." A hand rested on his shoulder and steered him in the direction of the plane where two men in purple waited by the boarding ramp.

"Yoroi, Misumi," Orochimaru greeted them. "Are we ready for takeoff?"

"As soon as everyone takes their seats," The taller of the two replied.

"Splendid."

The snake thankfully removed his arm and Sasuke advanced up the stairs. The outside of the plane may have looked small, but the inside was extremely cozy. The few tan leather seats on the right side were arranged around a clear table. On the left side was a two seated couch. In both the front and back there was a door. Sasuke could only guess that one was a pilot's den, the other a bathroom.

Selecting a single seat at the end of the table, Sasuke sat himself down. It wasn't too long until Orochimaru and Kabuto followed suit and the aircraft took off.

Eventually the silver haired man stood up and went past the tan couch to a nearby box. Sasuke watched as he opened it and pulled out three water bottles. Going back to his seat, he set one in a cup holder attached to his chair and offered the other two to Orochimaru and Sasuke who almost gasped when his finger wrapped around the frigid liquid. The box must have been a refrigerator.

Unscrewing the lid, Sasuke opened his water and drank most of it down, not realizing how thirsty he had gotten. Closing the lid back up, he set the container in his own cup holder.

A few minutes later, he started to feel light headed. Sending a frantic glance toward a smirking Kabuto, he felt himself slump back in his chair before everything went black.

* * *

><p>To say Sasuke was pissed off would be an understatement.<p>

First off, he should have known better than to drink something a stranger gave him.

Secondly, it was pitch dark. The fact that he couldn't see a single thing also seemed to enhance his other sense, making him hyper aware of the biting cold. Especially so since his shaking was faintly rattling the chains binding his wrists, keeping them locked upwards and secured to a wall. Or what he assumed to be a wall, his upper half was leaning against it after all.

Trying to block out the frigid air and the horrid smell of mildew, he concentrated on trying to pull his wrists out of the shackles. If he could rub enough skin off, he might be able to use his blood as a lubricant like he'd read in a book somewhere. So far, he wasn't having much luck.

Besides, even if he did manage to slip himself free, he wouldn't have a clue on how to escape. Was he in a room, a cage, a dungeon? Aside from the noise he was making everything was silent so it was safe to assume he was alone. Unshackled, he could try to feel around for an exit, but who knew how long that would take. They'd probably check up on him before he could locate anything.

His stomach made its displeasure known with a growl.

The last meal he ate was lunch, how long had it been since then, or even since he'd been trapped here? Without light, it was impossible to tell the time. To Sasuke it seemed like hours, sitting here in the darkness, stuck with his thoughts.

He wondered if his parents had noticed he was gone yet. Sasuke could see them sitting at the table waiting for him to show up for dinner. His father would be thinking of a suitable punishment, while his mother fighting the urge to go look for him herself.

The sound of keys jiggling made him try to locate the source.

A lock was being turned, and then the door opened. Sasuke shoved his head into his already raised right arm, blocking out the light shining in the room. Even though he was curious to see where he was, the light was too blinding.

"My, why is it so dark in here?" The noise resembled Orochimaru's voice but Sasuke didn't want to check, he was still trying to adjust.

"Tsk and tied up too? That Kabuto is quite over cautious. I asked him to take you downstairs and make you _comfortable_. Clearly, I'll have to have a word with him."

A few moments after what Sasuke guessed was a match being struck, he felt a warm hand grab his wrist, and unlock his restraints.

"Over cautious indeed" the voice hissed above him.

His arms dropped into his lap, sharp needles signaling their attempt to 'wake back up'.

Flexing his hands, the Uchiha peaked out his lashes, assessing the damage. When his retinas didn't feel like they were on fire anymore, he examined his surroundings.

Both the walls and floor were composed entirely out of grey stones. Torches now seemed to keep the room lit, revealing a single bed lined against the back wall, directly across from the front door.

Sasuke found himself looking up and wondering why there were restraints imbedded into the wall behind him.

"This is going to be your room for the time you'll be staying here. The bathroom is just down the hall. Is there anything else you need?"

"Food" was the first thing Sasuke croaked out, his voice cracking from lack of water, "and something to drink as well" he added.

"Of course, I'll be right back" the snake man said, turning around and closing the wood door behind him.

It was impossible to tell, but 'right back' must as translated into more than twenty minutes or so because it certainly felt like that's how long it took before the door opened again.

This time it was a slow moving Kabuto carrying a food tray. It was hard to tell with this lighting but the left side of Kabuto's face appeared to be a swollen red.

The glasses clad man set the tray in front of a smirking Sasuke.

Even though the raven wanted to be the one to dish out the punishment, he was still glad to see other in pain. Oh well, he was sure there'd be another time to extract his revenge on the man who thought he could get away with his little jokes.

"Enjoy" the tone of the silver-haired man was bitter as he stood up and departed out the door, locking it behind him.

Sasuke examined the breakfast meal in front of him, and decided that it was probably the next (Sunday) morning. It wasn't likely that this was drugged; the Uchiha assumed they had him right where they wanted.

Flexing his hands to test the circulation, he noted that the 'asleep' feeling had worn off and grabbed the glass of orange juice. Taking it slow, he sipped the beverage feeling the cool citrus juice seep down and sooth his parched throat. Setting down the now half empty glass, he picked up his fork and started on the rest of the meal.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

* * *

><p>Sorry, I know this wasn't as long as the other chapters, but that just seemed like a good place to stop.<p>

Yoroi and Misumi are Kabuto's teammates from the Chunin exam in case you didn't realize.

I couldn't help but add the part with Kakashi XD Besides, I'm sure it's safe to assume everyone has heard a story from friends/family or possibly experienced it themselves a time when they've almost gotten in the wrong car. I know I have. Oh, and also, you haven't seen the last of Kakashi :D

Please let me know if you have corrections, comments, suggestions, ratings, questions or just plain complaints.

Thanks goes to SinsofYouth, who beta'd this :)


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four: Just because a snake is smiling at you doesn't mean it isn't going to swallow you whole**

* * *

><p>Sasuke had rapidly polished off the hearty meal and set it off to the side. <em>Now what am I supposed to do<em>?

He rose up off the ground and hissed, immediately reaching down to massage his legs when he realized how numb they felt. Deciding to walk it off, he went over to the opposite side of the room.

Now that he was closer, he noticed that the wall was actually an optical illusion. He didn't realize until he reached it. Sasuke raised a hand out in front of him to feel the stone divider but ended up taking a few steps forward until he met the cool surface under his palm.

His peripheral vision picked up shelves full of clothes on his right and left hidden by a parted wall in front of them. The light only floated into the entrance way, ensuring that the closet sides (or what he could only guess was a closet) which couldn't be seen from inside the room, were in the shadows.

_Whoever did the architecture of this place had odd tastes. _Sasuke thought, getting a closer look at the tall and narrow shelves. Mostly they just contained white zip-up shirts and dark pants.

Grabbing the articles of clothing, he stood in the lit gap between the front walls holding them up to himself to see how they fit when the door opened.

A male about his own age strolled in with his hands in his grey pants pockets and paused after taking a look at Sasuke.

"Those look like they'd fit you nicely. I'm Hozuki Suigetsu by the way; I'm supposed to show you around." The white haired teen grinned revealing his unusually pointed teeth and waited for a reply.

Sasuke ignored the other and folded the short sleeve shirt before putting it back in the invisible closet.

"It's impolite to enter a room without knocking" The Uchiha eventually said making sure the clothes he took were set back in their correct place.

"Yeah… sorry about that." The teen said, not sounding apologetic in the least.

Leaving the enclosed space, Sasuke noticed Suigetsu's odd expression as he eyed the tray on the floor that was brought in earlier.

_It probably isn't normal to have food brought into the rooms_… Wanting to distract the other, he introduced himself, habitually offering his hand. "Sasuke"

Purple eyes moved to direct their attention to the Uchiha once more. "Just Sasuke huh? I suppose that's not a bad name." Suigetsu replied shaking his hand with a firm grip.

Letting the other go, he stepped back while the other male made a gesture towards the empty dishes. "So, I guess I'll give that tour now, and on the way we can bring that back to the cafeteria."

"Hn" Sasuke answered, going over to turn the old handle and open the door before stepping into the hall.

The empty corridor was built with stones, looking similar to Sasuke's new room. It was lit with torches as well, both directions from his door appearing eerily similar. The only difference being the east direction contained another door on the opposite side. Sasuke could only assume it was the aforementioned bathroom.

_Although I've been wrong before… _

Promptly, he shoved the image of the recent vehicle incident into a very back corner of his brain.

"Uh…aren't you forgetting something?" the voice called from behind him.

The Uchiha turned and sent the other teen a glare until Hozuki finally gave in with a huff, picking up the tray and followed Sasuke out into the hall.

"Geez, what are you, some rich kid? Just because Orochimaru happens to be spoiling you, doesn't mean I will. I'm not your maid ya'know."

Sasuke didn't bother to respond and closed his door after Suigetsu made his way through.

_These torches are everywhere. I wonder where all the eclectic lights and windows are. We have to be underground or something._

They traveled down corridor past the bathroom and through many twists and turns, Suigetsu pointing out a dozen other rooms until they went around the corner and arrived at a wider, more decorated hallway. The stone walls there still lit with torches, but the floor had a long frayed red rug. On the right side there was a dusty matching red love seat, next to a small table. The left side had a coffee table again the wall.

A tray clattered as the white haired teen set it on the wood surface and plopped down across from it on the sofa with a sigh.

"Phew I'm tired. It's been a while since I've been out and about like this. I almost forgot how huge this place is; wish I had remembered to bring my water with me"

"…We've only been walking for ten minutes."

"Yeah, that's a long time." Suigetsu replied as he patted the spot beside him with a pale hand. "But seriously, the old snake has been awfully hospitable towards ya, what makes you so special?"

Sasuke folded his arms across his chest refusing the unsaid invitation. "I'm not." Changing the topic, he noted his observation, "This place has no windows."

"Oh yeah, the majority of the rooms are in the basement because we hardly ever go upstairs. The outside of this old castle looks small and rundown but on the inside, it's actually pretty well kept." The other said, confirming his suspicions. "Oh! By the way, I meant to ask you earlier but what happened to your wrists?"

Looking down at his chest he regarded the said appendage, red skin had transformed into an encompassing angry bruise. Uncrossing his arms he started to head down the rest of the hall way.

"Let's go." He said purposely ignoring the query and the rage that burst up inside him like bubbling magma.

The other scrambled up to follow and grabbed the tray while calling, "Hey, wait up! You don't know where you're going!"

* * *

><p>They finally dropped the dishes off at the empty cafeteria, and Suigetsu showed him some of the classrooms and the training center.<p>

Following the brief tour, they made their way back to his room. Not that Sasuke needed someone to show him how to get back. Despite the maze like qualities of this place, he'd already memorized how to get around. In fact, he was confident enough to say that he could navigate the corridors all by himself. He was hoping the other could take the hint since Suigetsu was the one following him this time.

"But man, I'm jealous. Your room is so much bigger compared to mine; I hardly have any elbow room at all. How about a trade hmm?"

No such luck. Sasuke just turned his head and looked briefly at other teen as he kept walking.

Suigetsu, used to his unresponsiveness by now, frowned. "Well, it probably wouldn't have worked anyway. After all, I don't think _you_ could survive in a water tank."

Sasuke did stop this time.

"Suigetsu" a voice hissed out behind them.

They both turned around and were greeted by the site of Kabuto heading their direction with a red haired female trailing behind him.

"Er Kabuto, I didn't see you there."

"Hey, Don't over look me you…" the young woman trailed off as she seemed to take a good look at Sasuke. Blushing, she adjusted her glasses and asked, "Who might you be?"

"This is Sasuke; Orochimaru wants to see him in his lab. Would you mind showing him the way Karin?" Kabuto answered for him.

"I… why of course."

"Good, I'll escort Suigetsu back to his_ room_."

The girl came over and linked her pale arm in Sasuke's, turning him around and guiding them in the opposite direction of his bathroom door.

"Don't listen to Suigetsu, he's an exaggerating idiot."

"I heard that!" came the yell from behind them.

Sasuke extracted his arm, resulting with a pout from Karin while she ignored Suigetsu's reply.

The Uchiha wearily eyed the other girl. She was wearing a tight purple shirt, black shorts, and complimenting black boots. All in all she had nice legs but small breasts. Too bad she wasn't his type. Not that he was sure what his type was being somewhat asexual, but _brilliant red _certainly wasn't it.

Hopefully it wouldn't take all that long to get to the lab; this girl was standing so close to him, he could practically feel her breath. He found himself subtly sliding away, only to have her follow. It almost reminded him of the 'date' he went on the other day. Funny, it seemed like ages ago now.

"So, Sasuke," Karin purred "when you did you get here and how is it that you came to _Sound_?"

Sound? He'd never heard of it.

They went around the next corner they stopped before the first door on the right, saving Sasuke from answering the redhead. Although, he wasn't sure if he should be relived or not.

On one hand, being close to the lab meant seeing Orochimaru and Kabuto more than he was comfortable with. It also meant that if the two decided to do some awful experiment, he'd be the one who was forced to listen to the screams. On the other, it also made it easier for Sasuke to keep an eye on the pair. The more he knew, the better chances he'd have of reversing the blackmail and getting out of this place as soon as possible.

Karin raised her fist and knocked lightly on the door. It wasn't long before it swung open with Orochimaru standing in the entrance. His eyes moved from Karin to Sasuke before he smiled and pushed the door to leave a wider gap silently inviting him in.

"Sasuke, I've been expecting you."

The raven stepped forward and into the room, noticing the snake narrowing his eyes at the girl following closely behind him before he walked past the older man.

"Don't you have a job to do Karin?"

The Uchiha didn't bother to listen to her reply and started looking over the room.

It wasn't as bad as he originally anticipated. The lab had more light than the halls and actually smelled clean. The far back wall was filled with racks that contained…questionable things. Sasuke couldn't get a good enough look from where he was to tell. But perhaps that was a good thing. The left wall was completely covered in books. The ones on the top three shelves all looked new, while the lower four levels were crammed with overflowing tomes looking older and more fragile. Counters and a sink lined the right side of the room, with matching black cabinets above them nailed into the ceiling.

The sound of a shutting door behind him had Sasuke turning, cutting off his observations.

"If you don't mind taking a seat over there, we can get started." Orochimaru said, gesturing to a dentist like reclining chair that faced the front of the room.

Sasuke couldn't afford to appear weak, not with the man's gaze on his back. So, even if the light blue chair admittedly looked ominous with straps hovering over the feet and arm rests he sat down without any hesitation.

Orochimaru sat on a nearby red stool and rolled the seat over to Sasuke's left side. Handing him a spoon like object, he gestured to poster board on the front wall some twenty feet away.

"Cover one eye and read off the letters."

Complying, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a small sense of relief. He'd never been to an optometrist before. Doing his best to avoid them, he was always afraid they would find something unnatural. But this was probably as close to a visit as he would ever get and it was much better to be doing this rather than being strapped down and having needles forced into his veins.

The rest played out like any other ordinary eye appointment, or what he assumed was an ordinary eye appointment. Kabuto had walked in while he was reading the snellen chart, and waited till he was finished to switch places Orochimaru. He examined Sasuke's retina, the front of his eyes and tested his eye pressure while the snake watched them, leaning in the corner.

After all was said and done, Sasuke was declared to have perfect(ly normal) vision and was asked to activate his eyes so they could do the same tests. Reluctantly he agreed, watching as the room developed a red tint and the fading out of Orochimaru and Kabuto until only an outline and circulating emotions remained of their bodies.

Sasuke kept the surprise off his face when examining their colors. The man closest to him was swirling with a hazardous orange and a jealous/ poisonous emerald. Orochimaru's cold cyan, and an excited purple flowed much slower, almost as if he was sick.

"See Kabuto, didn't I tell you this boy has Sharingan?"

"Sharingan?" Sasuke asked, the foreign word feeling strange once it rolled off his tongue.

Orochimaru slowly pushed off the wall and gradually moved closer, the purple almost taking over his whole body.

"The Sharingan…" came the start of a very slow answer.

Sasuke turned off his eyes, not having the patience to listen to what appeared to be a long explanation in slow motion.

"- is the most powerful and unique infection ever seen to mankind. To explain, let's go a little more in–depth into what the eye is made of…."

The Uchiha was reminded again of why he should have never let anyone find out about his infection. He didn't feel like he was better than anyone else, well, maybe at sports and such but not with this. Surely controlling the elements or even healing instantly would be more useful than what he had. So he could see some colors and move quick, big deal.

"…retina is a sheet of receptors at the back of the eye and is made up from two types of photoreceptor cells; rods and cones. Rods detect light levels, which mean they only pick up black and white images. In humans, these are more common near the edge of the eye. Now, there is only a limited number of space for rods and cones in the retina, so if you increase the count of one you have to decrease the count of the other…"

A chill started to creep through his body, if his…_Sharingan_ was on he'd no doubt could see the flood of his very own dark purple. His science teacher last semester would talk the whole class period just because he was asked one simple question. The man was extremely passionate about his work. Sasuke was starting to feel this Orochimaru was the same.

"…Essentially, you must trade color perception for more detailed perception in black and white, which is largely what enables us to perceive motion…"

Though this was something applicable to him, he still couldn't help but tune the older man out (he was a teenager after all). It wasn't like he was hearing a foreign language, being well educated and all, he had an idea of what Orochimaru was talking about but it was difficult to pay attention.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Kabuto's expression. Even he looked bored but as if sensing Sasuke's gaze, turned and smirked. Apparently it wasn't hard to catch onto what Sasuke was thinking.

The Uchiha schooled his features to a blank stare.

"Sasuke, are you following me so far?" taking in the younger's empty look he continued, "No? Well, how about this: basically rods detect motion and cones detect color..."

The silver haired man's face seemed to morph from a smirk to a downright evil grin. Sasuke glared at the annoying man, tired of all the other's taunting.

Trying to cool down, he silently reminded himself that this was important he needed to hear this… or at least a fraction of it. It would be foolish to ignore information presented about this topic so easily.

"..So since you can't really increase the sensitivity of a rod, you would have to increase their number. One way to do this is to severely decrease the number of cones. But this won't work without sacrificing color, and since none of the three Sharingan users have ever been reported to be colorblind, this must not be it. The other way is to make the retina bigger, but in order to get to the level you are at, you'd have to have some pretty huge eyes."

_I really hope Orochimaru isn't going to be teaching in the classrooms, then again, he's more tolerable than Kabuto. It would be like last semester all over again. _

"…the obvious factor that sets Sharingan apart from normal eyes is the extra pupils. That would help because if rods are more common around the edge of the eye, increasing the amount of pupils would increase the number of outer edges to be lined with rods."

_Now I know what the straps are on these chairs are for. When Orochimaru gets in one of these moods, he must have to tie people down to force them to listen to his rambling…_

"…If the center pupil were devoted entirely to cones to retain a sense of color, then the space in the other pupils would be specifically for rods in order to get a better perception of motion, which is what the Sharingan is." Orochimaru began heading over to one of the larger and older books on the shelf "Here, I have a few diagrams—"

"Orochimaru, perhaps we could save the rest for a later time? We still have an experiment to conduct."

The snake stopped and examined his assistant. "I suppose. Why don't you go grab some lunch Kabuto? I can finish from here."

A relieved Sasuke mentally made a note of the book's location in case he could sneak in and read parts of it later.

After Kabuto made his exit, the yellowed-eyed man sat back down on the stool with a sigh. "Right, I must've gotten ahead of myself again. Turn those eyes back on again so we can be done."

The snake conducted the same examinations that Sasuke had to go through earlier, but this time taking much longer. More than likely it was because the slow-mo effect that came with his Sharingan.

Eventually he finished up and told the Uchiha he was allowed to leave, who wasted no time in standing up and made short work of getting to the door. His hand was turning the bronze knob when Orochimaru called out to him.

"Oh Sasuke, I almost forgot. My sources tell me you are enrolled in Kendo correct?"

_His sources? Judging by my new closet, they were able to find such a small detail as to what size clothes I wear. It's not all that surprising he knows I take Kendo. I wonder what else they've told him._

Not removing his hand, he gave the long haired man his undivided attention. "Yes, what of it?"

"While you're staying here, I might have a few errands for you to run in payment for food and a roof over your head. You'll probably need this to get them done properly." Orochimaru went over to one of the higher cabinets from right wall and opened revealing a chokutō with a black scabbard. Taking it down, he brought it over and handed it to Sasuke's free hand.

The Uchiha wasn't sure if he should feel insulted or grateful. Whatever _errands_ the snake would have him do, he was sure he could accomplish them without a freaking sword. Determined to leave as soon as possible though, he gave the other a nod and left the lab carrying his gift with him.

Arriving back at his room, he set the chokutō in the closet. Picking out some clothes he left again, planning to take a shower and eat a late lunch.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

* * *

><p>Sorry, maybe not the most exciting chapter, with all the explanations and crap, but I tried to make it bearable. At least now we can move onto the more fun stuff.<p>

I did do my research, but in the end the explanation doesn't fully belong to me, I have to credit Eileen from _Narutofever_, whom I got the majority of the information from.

I was totally thinking about "The Labyrinth" when I wrote that closet scene in the beginning if you couldn't tell. In fact, I wasn't even originally planning to throw the in there but it managed to sneak itself in.

Please let me know if you have correction comments, suggestions, ratings, questions or just plain complaints.

Thanks goes to SinsofYouth, who beta'd this :)


End file.
